Rebiana

What is Rebiana?

Stevia Rebiana is the common name for a high-purity extract of rebaudioside-A, the best-tasting of the sweet compounds (steviol glycosides) present in stevia leaves. Rebiana is a food-grade ingredient that is at least 97 percent rebaudioside-A and approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar.

Rebiana is extracted and purified from stevia leaves using a process similar to that used to extract other natural flavorings, such as vanilla, spearmint and cinnamon. The finished product contains nothing artificial or synthetic.

Truvia™ natural sweetener (pronounced Tru-VEE-a) is the brand name for a natural, zero-calorie sweetener made with rebiana that was jointly developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company.

Safety

The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), an independent, international expert panel administered by the United Nations and World Health Organization, has conducted a thorough scientific review of all the available scientific data on steviol glycosides, including rebaudioside A (used in rebiana) and concluded that they are safe for their intended use - to sweeten fooods and beverages and established a permanent Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) level.   (see http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/files/jecfa69_final.pdf)

In December 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) stated it had no objection to the conclusion of an expert panel that rebaudioside A is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a general purpose sweetener.  Prior to this, stevia-based ingredients were only permitted for use as a dietary supplement in the U.S. 

Stevia and steviol glycosides have a long history of use in several countries, including Japan and Paraguay.  Stevia-based sweeteners are approved for use in many countries including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Russia, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Malaysia. Stevia is approved as a natural health product in Canada, and as a dietary supplement in Europe. 


Q & A

Is there a difference between rebiana and stevia?

Yes. The term "stevia" typically refers to a sweetener made from a crude preparation (powder or liquid) of dried stevia leaves. It may contain a mixture of many substances, only some of which are sweet.

Rebiana is the common or usual name for a food-grade high-purity extract of the stevia leaf that is at least 97 percent rebaudioside-A, the best tasting sweet substance found in the stevia leaf.

What does the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for rebiana signify?

ADI is a measure of the amount of a substance that can be safely consumed every day over a lifetime without an appreciable health risk. ADI is expressed by body weight, usually in milligrams (of the substance) per kilogram per day.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) established a permanent acceptable daily intake (ADI) for steviol glycosides, including rebiana, of approximately 12 mg per kg body weight of rebiana per day for adults and children. This means that a150-lb. person can safely consume about 30 packets of Truvia™ natural sweetener every day over the course of a lifetime or more than six 12-ounce cans of soda sweetened with rebiana every day of his or her life to exceed the ADI.

Is rebiana safe for children to consume?

Yes. Based on the body of published research, panels of independent scientific experts in the U.S. and globally have concluded that rebiana is safe for people of all ages. The safety of rebiana as a general-purpose sweetener for use by everyone is supported by stevia’s long history of use around the world, more than 25 years of scientific research on steviol glycosides (the sweet-tasting substances in the stevia leaf) and the recent publication of studies from a rigorous, comprehensive scientific research program on rebiana that addressed research gaps to establish definitively the safety of rebiana for use as a sweetener in foods and beverages.

How is rebiana metabolized?

Studies have been conducted in humans to document the metabolism of rebiana. Rebiana is not absorbed in the small intestine. Bacteria in the colon break it down into a compound called steviol, which can be absorbed. Absorbed steviol is made into steviol glucuronide by the liver and is excreted in the urine.

Rigorous studies published online in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology in May 2008 showed that very high doses of rebiana (equivalent to a 150-lb person drinking 2,000 eight-ounce servings of a beverage sweetened with rebiana) did not have negative effects on general health or particular organs, including the liver.

Does rebiana affect blood glucose (blood sugar) and blood pressure?

No. Data from a rigorous, comprehensive scientific research program on the safety of rebiana in the United States published online in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology in May 2008 showed that rebiana has no effect on either blood sugar or blood pressure in people.

What scientific evidence is required to achieve GRAS status?

To be legally added to a food or beverage in the U.S., any ingredient must have status as either an FDA-approved food additive or be GRAS, which is an abbreviation for Generally Recognized As Safe.” The quality and quantity of scientific evidence required for a substance to achieve GRAS status are the same as are necessary for it to be approved by FDA as a food additive.

Ingredient sponsors may pursue a food additive petition when there are trade secrets surrounding the substance that preclude there being common knowledge as to its safety, which is necessary for a substance to achieve GRAS status. In the food additive process, the FDA alone reviews the safety data and approves the use of the substance as a food additive. GRAS status is based on consensus among the community of relevant scientists as to the ingredient’s safety for its intended use; it is not granted by the FDA. Based on evidence of safety that is generally recognized by qualified experts, any person (or organization) may notify the FDA of its determination that a particular use of a substance is GRAS. If the FDA has no questions regarding that determination, it issues a no objection letter.

A GRAS determination has been made for Truvia™ natural sweetener. For an ingredient to achieve GRAS status, there must be a body of publicly available (published) scientific data that shows the substance’s safety, and there must be consensus among the community of relevant scientists as to the ingredient’s safety for its intended use. Once these criteria were met, Truvia™ natural sweetener joined a long list of other common GRAS ingredients, including vanilla, cinnamon, basil, sesame, poppy seeds, plant sterols and glucosamine.

The FDA issued a no objection letter regarding the GRAS determination of rebiana in December 2008.


Glossary

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)

Stevia is a shrub in the chrysanthemum family native to Paraguay. “Stevia” sold in stores typically refers to a crude preparation (powder or liquid) made from the leaves of the stevia plant.  It may contain a mixture of many substances, only some of which are sweet.

Steviol glycosides

Steviol glycosides are the sweet-tasting compounds present in stevia leaves.  There are many kinds of steviol glycosides, but the two most abundant types are stevioside and rebaudioside-A.

Stevioside

Stevioside is the most abundant steviol glycoside in the stevia leaf.  It has been studied extensively.

Rebaudioside-A

Rebaudioside-A is the best-tasting steviol glycoside.  It is broken down by the body into the same basic parts as stevioside.Rebaudioside-A is the main component in rebiana.

Rebiana

Rebiana is a high-purity extract of rebaudioside-A, the best-tasting sweet substance (steviol glycoside) found in the leaves of the stevia plant. Rebiana, is the first natural, zero-calorie sweetener to be commercially developed for the U.S. market, and is 200 times sweeter than sugar.

Truvia™

Truvia™ natural sweetener (pronounced Tru-VEE-a) is a great-tasting, natural, zero-calorie sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is the brand name for rebiana, a high-purity extract of the best-tasting sweet substance in the stevia leaf. Truvia™ natural sweetener is a new adivition to The Coca-Cola Company’s repertoire of sweeteners, and is part of the company’s innovation strategy to offer consumers more variety. For more information see: http://www.truvia.com/

GRAS

GRAS determination is a judgment by qualified scientists that a substance is not harmful under conditions of its intended use based on publicly available safety data. To be legally added to foods or beverages in the United States, an ingredient must have either GRAS determination or FDA approval as a food additive. The safety standard is equally rigorous for a GRAS ingredient and a food additive.

GRAS status is obtained when an ingredient or substance has been determined to be safe under the conditions of its intended use based on publicly available scientific evidence or a substantial history of consumption by a significant number of consumers prior to 1958. The safety standard is the same for a GRAS ingredient as it is for a food additive.

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